Loftus Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Loftus Hall |
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Loftus Hall, March 2007
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| Former names | The Hall, Redmond's Hall |
| General information | |
| Location | Hook Head, County Wexford |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52°08′55″N 6°54′38″W / 52.1487168°N 6.9105639°W |
| Elevation | 15 metres (49 ft) |
| Opened | 1350 |
| Owner | Aidan & Shane Quigley |
Loftus Hall is a very old country house in County Wexford, Ireland. It is located on the Hook peninsula. Locals say that the house is haunted by the devil and the ghost of a young woman.
In 2011, Aidan Quigley bought Loftus Hall. He turned it into a haunted house attraction. People could take guided tours until 2020. Then, the house was put up for sale.
Contents
Early History of Redmond Hall
In 1170, a man named Raymond Le Gros came to Ireland. He landed at a place now called Baginbun. This area is famous in Irish history. It is known as the place "where Ireland was lost and won."
Raymond Le Gros received land in County Wexford. He built a castle there called Houseland Castle. Around 1350, during the time of the Black Death, the Redmond family built a new castle. This second castle was known as "The Hall" or Redmond Hall.
Attack During the Irish Wars
In 1642, Redmond's Hall was attacked. This happened during the Irish Confederate Wars. English soldiers loyal to King Charles I of England attacked the house.
An English army group was based at Duncannon Fort. On July 20, 1642, Captain Aston led about 90 men to attack Redmond's Hall. The owner, Alexander Redmond, was 68 years old. He decided to defend his home.
Alexander Redmond was helped by his sons and a few other people. There were only ten defenders in total. They had long hunting guns. Captain Aston demanded to enter the Hall. Alexander Redmond refused unless the soldiers left their weapons outside.
A long gunfight started. Aston's small cannons could not break the main door. Also, about half of his men left to steal things from the countryside. A thick sea-mist then covered the Hook Peninsula.
Meanwhile, Irish soldiers heard about the attack. They quickly marched to help the defenders. They surprised the English attackers in the fog. About 30 English soldiers escaped back to their fort. Captain Aston was killed. Many others were captured. Some of the prisoners were later hanged.
New Owners: The Loftus Family
The Redmond family lost their land after these wars. The Loftus family were English settlers. They had owned land nearby since the 1590s. In 1666, Henry Loftus moved into the Hall. It then became the main home of the Loftus family.
To show the new name, Henry Loftus put a stone sign at the entrance. It said: 'Henry Loftus of Loftus Hall Esq. 1680'. Even so, people still used the old name for a while. In 1684, Henry Loftus repaired the Hall. It probably needed fixing after the wars.
The Loftus family became very important over the years. In 1800, the owner of the Hall became the first Marquess of Ely. Later, between 1872 and 1884, the 4th Marquess, John Henry Wellington Graham Loftus, rebuilt the old Hall. He used the existing building to create the house we see today.
The Redmond family tried to get their land back in court. But they were not successful. Some of their family later joined foreign armies. Others became important in banking and politics. A famous descendant was John Redmond. He led the Irish Parliamentary Party until 1918.
Loftus Hall Today
Between 1872 and 1884, the 4th Marquess of Ely rebuilt Loftus Hall. His mother, Lady Jane Hope Vere Loftus, helped guide the work. She was a Lady in Waiting to Queen Victoria. Many new features were added, like a grand staircase and mosaic floors. The house also got modern things like flushing toilets and blown air heating.
Lord Ely was inspired by Osborne House, Queen Victoria's summer home. It is believed the work was done for a visit from the Queen. But she never came. The 4th Marquess died young and left the estate in debt. His cousin then decided to sell the house.
In 1917, the Sisters of Providence bought Loftus Hall. They turned it into a convent and a school for young girls. In 1983, Michael Devereaux bought it. He opened it as the "Loftus Hall Hotel." This hotel closed in the late 1990s.
In 2011, the Quigley family bought the house. They ran it as a tourist attraction. People could take guided tours and attend special events. Many people came from around the world for ghost investigations. The TV show Ghost Adventures even filmed there.
A scary movie called The Lodgers was filmed at Loftus Hall in 2016. It was shown at a big film festival in 2017. The house was put up for sale again in 2020. The area around the mansion is also called Loftus Hall. You can see the entire area from Hook Lighthouse.
Ghost Stories
Charles Tottenham became the owner of the house in 1775. He married Anne Loftus. They had six children. After his wife died, Charles married his cousin, Jane Cliffe. They lived in Loftus Hall with Anne, his daughter from his first marriage.
One stormy evening in 1775, a ship arrived unexpectedly. A young man from the ship was welcomed into the mansion. Anne and the young man became very close. One night, they were playing cards in the Game Room. Each player got three cards, but Anne only got two from the mysterious man.
A butler was about to ask about the cards. Just then, Anne bent down to pick up a card she thought she dropped. It is said that when Anne looked under the table, she saw the mysterious man had a cloven foot.
Anne stood up and told everyone what she saw. The man then went straight up through the roof! He left a large hole in the ceiling. After this, Anne became mentally ill. People believe her family was ashamed. They locked her away in her favorite room, the Tapestry Room.
She refused to eat or drink. She sat with her knees under her chin, looking out the window. She watched the sea, waiting for the mysterious stranger to return. Anne died in the Tapestry Room in 1775. It is said that her body could not be straightened. She was buried in the same sitting position she died in.
Loftus Hall in Media
In 1993, a documentary film called The Legend of Loftus Hall was made. It told the story of the house. It even had actors playing parts of the legend. The film was well-received.
A new movie called Loftus Hall was announced in 2006. Actors like Samantha Mumba were said to be involved. The film faced money problems but was later restarted. It was planned to be much darker and more accurate to the story. It was even going to be the first Irish film released in 3D.
In 2014, the US TV show Ghost Adventures investigated Loftus Hall. It was part of their Halloween special, 'Celtic Demons'.
Loftus Hall also inspired Fowl Manor. This is a main setting in the Artemis Fowl book series. The author, Eoin Colfer, worked at Loftus Hall when he was younger.
See also
In Spanish: Loftus Hall para niños
